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Alexander Magnum
Alexander Bernard Johnathan Magnum, otherwise known simply as Alexander Magnum, (3740 - 3825) was the President of the Republic of Kirlawa from 3790 to 3794, and from 3818 to 3819, as well as the founder and first Chairman of the Conservative Party of Kirlawa. He served in the Assembly from 3790 to 3823, and was Chairman of the Party from 3790 to 3821. He was succeeded by his son, Alexander Magnum II, as Chairman in 3823. He was also founder of the Intelligentsia think tank, which is widely considered to be the predecessor to the CPK. Alexander Magnum was born into a lower middle class household in 3740. He grew to be a staunch believer in libertarianism and permissive civil rights, and founded the Intelligentsia think tank in 3760, where he met future Conservative leader Malagasy Thatcher. To address the gaping hole in libertarian and liberal conservative representation in Kirlawa, he founded the Conservative Party and led it alongside Thatcher, with him as Chairman. Within several years, he became President of Kirlawa, and would repeat that feat in 3818. After several years of successful elections, the Conservatives' performance faltered. Amidst old age and sick health, Alexander Magnum retired from politics and resigned as the party Chairman, triggering its first ever leadership elections. He did not contest in the 3823 elections, and passed away in sick health in 3825. Nonpolitical Background Alexander Bernard Johnathan Magnum was born to Bernard and Alexandria Magnum in 3740, in a suburb of Telon, capital city of Nuchtmark Province. At the age of 6, he attended Coal Hill Elementary School, before entering the honours stream at age 10. He later went to a grammar school to complete his secondary education, before switching to a state-funded public school for his tertiary education. He attended the University of Nuchtmark in 3759, and studied Law. While there, he developed an interest in politics and started Intelligentsia, a political movement and think tank, alongside Malagasy Thatcher. He graduated with first-Class Honours, before studying for a graduate degree at the same university. He attained his Masters degree in 3765, and was called to the bar in 3767. For 15 years, he worked at a law firm that he personally established with several of his friends in graduate school. Thereafter, he became a state prosecutor for the province of Nuchtmark for two years. He left the law circuit altogether in 3784, a year before he set up the Conservative Party of Kirlawa and entered politics full-time. Intelligentsia (3759 - ) Alexander Magnum, who read the books The Market for Liberty and On Liberty, found himself staunchly in the libertarian camp early in his university career. He attended fringe meetings at the University of Nuchtmark's political scene, where he, along with other like-minded members, formed the foundation for a nationwide libertarian political movement. As more fringe meetings popped up all over Kirlawa, Alexander Magnum formally extended his assistance to them, which prompted for greater coordination between the fringe groups. He joined the Freedom Movement in 3759, and quickly rose through the ranks of the Executive Committee, colloquially known as the "Politburo". Tensions soon simmered within the top echelons of the Freedom Movement, as divisions between neoconservative and libertarian factions led to a split in the party. Magnum, a strong libertarian believer, was a proponent of the establishment of a break-away faction, to be called the Intelligentsia. While at the Intelligentsia, he met Malagasy Thatcher, who was also within the top ranks of the movement. The two quickly established a close-knit bond, which would later manifest itself in the formation of the Conservative Party of Kirlawa. Formation of the Conservative Party (3785 - 3790) Leading up to the formation of the Conservative Party, Magnum and Thatcher had intense discussions as to how to proceed with the libertarian-populist movement. The two generally agreed that the Intelligentsia, as a political think tank, was incapable of producing the necessary political change that they sought. In January 3785, Magnum consulted with other members of the Politburo in Intelligentsia, who were close to him and disillusioned with the direction of the think tank, as to whether they were open to the idea of forming a political party. Most agreed and together, in April 3785, they formed the Conservative Party of Kirlawa, established in Dirlana. As Chairman of the Party, Magnum was automatically selected as the Party's Presidential candidate for all subsequent elections. Despite being a Libertarian, the diverse, catch-all nature of the new Party meant that he had to temper his ideology to suit the political climate, which favoured establishment-style politics. This proved to be successful, as the Conservatives made a large impact on the political scene by gaining 89 seats in the 3787 Parliamentary elections. Magnum himself came in 3rd in the Presidential elections, with 14.79% of the vote. Magnum found that a strong grassroots organisation and devolved party structure were instrumental in his early successes, and sought to build on them for the subsequent elections. His efforts would prove successful in the 3790 elections, which saw a surprising victory for the newly-formed party. President of Kirlawa (3790 - 3794) In the July 3790 elections, Alexander Magnum was elected as President of Kirlawa, trouncing his opponent with close to 68% of the popular vote in the second round. This is, and continues to be, the highest percentage a Conservative presidential candidate has ever received in the second round of Presidential elections. His victory is mainly attributed to the endorsement of several other political parties, as well as the grassroots support he relied upon in key battleground provinces, culminating in large margins of victories there which propelled him to the Presidency. The Conservatives as a whole fared less well in the General Election, but this dampened their mood no less. In a span of five years, the Conservatives have had their first President in office, an unprecedented feat in Kirlawan politics. His tenure as President was muted. As the President of Kirlawa has mainly ceremonial functions, Magnum was unable to directly influence the policy of the government of the day. Moreover, with only 89 seats in Parliament, the Conservatives were hapless to bring Magnum's political agenda to the forefront of the General Assembly and Senate. As such, their failure in creating a solid direction for the party to take, alongside competition from emergent, ideologically similar parties, eroded Magnum's and the Conservatives' popular support. By the 3794 elections, the Conservatives lost 44 seats, and Magnum attained a derisory 7.82% of the vote in the first round of the Presidential elections, dropping to 6th place. Shaping party policy (3795 - 3810) Unceremoniously booted out of office by voters, Magnum worked on reshaping the Conservatives' image to appeal to the electorate, especially amidst a crowded political field. He pushed the party to embracing civil liberties and progressive policies, while at the same time maintaining his free-market, capitalist beliefs. This took time to gather traction with voters, and in the elections from 3794 to 3805, the Party's electoral performance hovered between the 45 to 50 seat range. Eventually, by 3805, the electoral field begin to winnow and the Conservatives stood out as a voice for progressive, free-market policies. The party gained 81 seats in 3809 and broached the 100-seat mark once again in 3812. For Magnum, he exceeded 10% of the vote share in the first round of Presidential elections in 3809, marking his return to the foray of Kirlawan leaders and reestablishing his place. Executive loosening and Thatcher (3810 - 3818) Despite his resurgent status in Kirlawan politics, Alexander Magnum knew that synonymising his name with the Party was bound to create internal conflict. He was well aware that Malagasy Thatcher was feeling envious as Magnum's position, for he was able to influence party policy and direction much more directly than she could. Moreover, growing factions within the Party made ideological splits more visible, as an Isolationist bloc, opposed to Kirlawa's membership of various treaties, gained more members by the day. Magnum knew that he had to decentralise and linearise the power structure in the Conservative Party, for it to move forward into the next elections. Although the posts of Chairman and Leader were equally split on the responsibilities of executive leadership, Magnum gradually ceded greater power to the post of Leader and its incumbent, Malagasy Thatcher. Policies which Magnum found contentious or controversial were often put to a party vote at yearly conferences, to gauge members' opinion and formulate policies which pleased them. In this way, Magnum somewhat fulfilled his vision of a party operating on libertarian, "people power" values, although this meant forsaking his control and influence over its direction. It was a strategy that would prove to be successful, as the Party gradually gained seats in the General Assembly and regained prominence in the political arena. Second Term as President (3818 - 3819) During the January 3818 Presidential elections, Alexander Magnum attained 21.12% of the popular vote in the first round of voting, putting him at second place and allowing him to move on to the second round of the Presidential election. This was the first time that a Conservative presidential candidate had broached the 20% mark in the first round of voting since 3790. Alexander Magnum hoped that he was able to retake the post of Presidency and Retirement and Death (3819 - 3825) Category:Kirlawan politicians